Access to clean water can often evade even those in the developed world. More than 783 million people around the world suffer because of contamination of their water supply. For example, arsenic is a toxic substance due to its threat to human health and the high likelihood of being exposed. Over 140 million people have arsenic contamination in their water supplies. Prolonged arsenic poisoning has been linked to various cancers, reproductive disorders, dermatological problems and more. Technological advances can play a vital role in addressing this and other water contamination issues.
By detecting contaminants at ‘point of source’, toxic exposures can be avoided and sources of contamination can be identified and mitigated in a timelier manner. Thus, there is a need for enhancing field test methods as well as creating automatic ‘on the tap’ monitors for consistent, rapid, and affordable data collection of contaminants in drinking water.